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USDA conducting inaugural hemp production survey

Delaware farmers of new crop get to help shape policy of fledgling industry
September 7, 2021

Less than three full years into legal production, hemp farmers in Delaware don’t have the lobbying power their corn and soybean brethren have with politicians and government officials. However, because hemp as a crop is still in its fledgling stage, those same farmers will have an outsized impact on future policies for the crop by participating in the federal government’s first hemp production survey.

The United States Department of Agriculture announced Aug. 30 that it would conduct its inaugural Hemp Acreage and Production Survey in October. The survey will collect information on the total planted and harvested area, yield, production, and value of hemp in the United States, said the announcement.

Stacey Hofmann, Delaware Department of Agriculture spokesperson, said DDA encourages all producers, no matter what they raise – field crops, specialty crops, livestock, honeybees – to participate in the federal surveys. The results will provide needed data about the hemp industry to assist a variety of stakeholders as operations and policies are refined.

“These surveys are an opportunity for producers to have a voice in their industry, decision-making, and policy creation by showing the importance of agriculture,” said Hofmann, adding responses are kept confidential and only used for data collection. 

The Domestic Hemp Production Program established in the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 allows for the cultivation of hemp under certain conditions. The Hemp Acreage and Production survey will provide needed data about the hemp industry to assist producers, regulatory agencies, state governments, processors, and other key industry entities.

Production of hemp, a cousin to marijuana known for its strong fiber and CBD oil, has been legal in Delaware since 2019. Hemp cultivation is permitted so long as its THC content is below .3 percent. THC is the chemical compound in marijuana that gets people high.

A few years in, Hofmann said there is hemp being grown in all three counties, but there’s been little feedback from farmers on how the crop is growing in Delaware. To give an idea, she points to the state’s website – de.gov/hemp – for the production area of hemp in Delaware. According to that website, in 2021, among the 16 hemp producers, there are 22.75 acres of outdoor production and 59,320 square feet of indoor production. For comparison, there are 43,560 square feet in an acre.

In 2020, the first full year of production in Delaware, there were 13 hemp producers, with 75 acres of outdoor production and 34,000 square feet of indoor production. The data shows of these 13 farmers, only five produced a crop.

The data also shows that in 2019, described as a research year, there were 26 registered producers, with 82.36 acres of outdoor production and 419,620 square feet of indoor production. 

Hemp cultivation is legal, but there’s still a stigma associated with the crop. Hofmann said none of the state’s hemp farmers were interested in participating in this story.

“No takers, sorry,” she said.

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